Where is this Ultra At? Have you done it before?

I love distance, and the marathon is my race of choice. And although the ultras have been calling to me that distance just has me a little skeeeeeeeeerd.

You talked me into it! now you will just have to give me some guidance as I plan my training. I am at the moment however really excited!!!!

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I know its a long way off yet, but I am already starting to think about pacing, so as not to go out to fast. Seems important to lay back early so I am going to need a long time to get that idea solidly into my mindset. I've got a couple of marathons coming up in the spring, then I will be ready to turn my focus to the 100.

Well Carl, My spring marathon season is over, now its time to start thinking about the 100. As I am starting to plan the training I usually go from race day and work back. So my first and biggest question is my longest "run", I am thinking somewhere between 40-50 miles. How far out would be best to do that. I usually do my last long run for a marathon 2 weeks out, but thats just a 20 miler and I figure I need more time for both recovery and for almost total rest between that long run and the ultra. I figure that complete cardio fitness is a little less important in this type of race as I will be going slower, but more rest in those weeks leading up to it will serve me better. Does this sound right? I am thinking that last long run ought to be no closer than 4 weeks before the VTU. What do ya say?

Hi Danny, I think your plan sounds pretty good. In several ways you're a more advanced runner than I am, so instead of spouting too much hearsay advice I should probably just try to let you know what worked for me. What I did last year, before my first and only 100, was to follow my usual marathon training but add in a run of about 31 miles about five weeks before the race, which I did instead of the usual 20-miler. The fact that this run took much longer than I'd planned (due to some rainstorm-induced blister problems I had along the way) may have actually helped me. Although my pace was extremely slow, the 9+ hours out there gave me a feeling of what I'd need to do to stay moving for a long time, which was to definitely eat more calories, more often. After I finished that outing, I got up about three hours later and rode my bike back to work, which let me know that I could work through fatigue and even enjoy the challenge. I think that, cardiovascularly, you'll have few or no problems. The challenge will be to keep your stomach working well--I'd start trying to find out your best combination of calories (I like to use Boost, M&Ms, Oreos, gels, and Spaghetti-Os), as well as water/electrolyte (for me, powdered Gatorade). During my 100-miler, I tried to get in about 300-400 calories per hour. Next time, I'll hopefully be able to stomach more. Many ultra runners run their last 20-miler at about three weeks out. The timing you choose depends on your recovery time (which as a daily exerciser is probably pretty rapid). At start time, I try to make sure I have no lingering muscle fatigue. Good luck!

i looked on the website and got my answer about pacers for each leg so that is cool, but I was still wondering if they need be on foot or if they can accompany on a bike?

Hi Danny, Pacers are welcome and encouraged, and you can have as many as you wish. A mountain bike with lights would be best. For bikes, one place that was a problem last year was a washed-out section of trail. Although we just ran around/over that area, the NE Rail Trail person has told me that the trail there has been fixed. I'll take a training run on that section of the trail in the next few weeks to confirm. Another potential difficulty is near the start, where there's a bridge with 6-inch spaces between the thick floor joists. Riders should walk their bikes across this bridge. On a side note, my youngest son had his appendix removed on Wednesday night. He's doing well now, and is scheduled to be home from the hospital tomorrow. Thanks for the reminder Willa: staying relaxed is good!